Conference 7.286::digital

    Good idea that has already been used!  Worcester Center is planning to
    open a mall of outlet stores similar to those in Kittery, Maine next
    December.

    I heard that Worcester Galleria is going to do it, but I think the 
    Mill would do much better for having factory outlet stores.  The 
    Galleria is too pretty/expensive and plus, Worcester is a city.  I 
    don't think it would draw customers like an old mill would.  You've 
    got to admit, the place has lots of character!
    
    Pam

re Note 2444.2 by AKOCOA::NOVITCH:

>     You've 
>     got to admit, the place has lots of character!
  
        But the highway access is terrible.

        Bob

Re: .2

Pam,
    I agree with you 1000%: character is a plus. But the unfortunate reality 
is that the rest of the world doesn't. To the rest of the world dollars are 
plus. It seems more and more, society could care less about character so 
long as the dollars are flowing smoothly inward. It's a sad commentary on 
American life.

If the leaders of Digital and it's employees cared about character, the Mill 
wouldn't be closing. I guess, as a company, we could care less about 
character.

It's a sad thing...

Ford

    Yeah:
    
    And then we can sell DIAL stuff, stuff at the PDC, and all the leftover
    DEC stock that no one buys (like the MV4000 wasn't that the one that
    didn't sell).
    
    What kind of a name can we come up with?  DECoutlet Mall?  Even if the
    stores were leased out to other vendors, it would give a little plug to
    DEC -- keep the brand name recognition high so people won't forget
    about us.
    
    Too funny ...
    
    Tammi

I am going to put my 1 pence in, I am GLAD they are closing the mill.  I 
see too many people that can't see that the days of complacency are over.  
I think we are trying very hard to imitate the BUNCH that we helped lose 
market share.  I have heard about the good old days for so long I can't 
stand it.  The company has been trying very hard to go out of busines and 
now we are finally seeing some changes.  Sure, some are hard to accept, 
but we have not brought out a successful product in the hardware space for 
at least 5 years.  (I define successful as selling to nonexisting 
customers).

The mill is a legacy of the past, one that for better or worse has changed. 
That is a fact, and fighting reality is a chancy way to run a company.

I suggest we make a company store out of it and sell DECcr*p.  The MV4000 
is a good suggestion, the 9000, the 89xx, 2100, VTX1000 and several other 
great examples of terrible product development.  We can even put in a 
software area and run DECwrite, Document, DECproject, DECcalc and several 
of the internal applications like SBS.  We can dedicate it to Ken. 
Perhaps put up a banner (in binary) that says "I built it, I can destroy 
it."

Matt Haley

    Re .-1
    
    Too right. The sooner people wake up and realize that the methods we
    used very successfully for building a $2B compant to a $10B company in
    the 70s and early 80s are NOT the same methods needed to build a $14B
    company swimming in red ink to a profitable $30B company (hopefully)
    or a profitable $5B company (if the alternative is to go out of
    business), the sooner we'll be all better off.
    
    It's like realizing that just because you can punch a hole in a sheet
    of paper with a needle doesn't mean you can punch a whole in a sheet of
    metal with a needle. You need a different tool eg a drill.
    
    It's good to see some changes being made. I'm still not convinced it
    isn't all cosmetic window dressing but I haven't lost faith yet.
    I'm just waiting for the CBUs to get the point where they say "oh shit"
    Palmer means it my arse is grass if I don't turn a profit so it is
    time I turf out all the non productive middle management and empire
    builders.
    
    I'm not sure whether it is true or not but I heard the following
    rumour. Networks Engineering had committed to a budget earlier in
    the FY. Larry Walker then realized he wasn't going to meet the budget
    so did some necessary cutting and got it within a $1M. Went to Strecker
    to see if that was good enough and got told "NO a BUDGET is a BUDGET",
    come back when the problem is fixed. So he went and fixed the problem.
    I just more people would start to be held accountable like that.
    Nothing wrong with going to see if "it's close enough" but also nothing
    wrong with getting the answer "NO" and being held to it. Now the only
    thing I wish that would change quickly is that budgets stay stable for
    a period like a year and people be left alone to deliver what they
    promise within budget or get FIRED. I'm fed up of watching people go
    way over budget or schedule and not get held accountable.
    
    Dave

    
    
    My point about character was really about savings too.  Honest!  
    You see, an "oldle' mill" as opposed to a "new galleria mall", would
    have a significant cost difference.  The cost/upkeep of the mill, I 
    think would be much cheaper than upkeep of a newly rentivated mall in a
    big city like Worcester.  I think this is why Fall River does so well, 
    most of those buildings were old textile mills.  It's very marketable.  
    It's got a great feel for savings and bargains.
    
    One noter had a good point by stating that it's not really highway
    accessible.  I never thought about that!  All I thought about was
    where I live.  So, as Gilda Radner's most famous line was as "Rosanne
    Rosanna Danna": Nevermind!

re Note 2444.8 by AKOCOA::NOVITCH:

>     You see, an "oldle' mill" as opposed to a "new galleria mall", would
>     have a significant cost difference.  The cost/upkeep of the mill, I 
>     think would be much cheaper than upkeep of a newly rentivated mall in a
>     big city like Worcester.  

        Supposedly one of the reasons why we are leaving the Mill is
        because its operating and upkeep costs are too high.

        Would not those same costs be too high for any other tenant
        or owner?  Wouldn't it cost as much to heat a clothing
        outlet?  (Actually, wouldn't it cost more -- since the
        equipment we use inevitably contributes waste heat to the
        heated space?)  While I agree that an old mill will generally
        cost a retail business a lot less than prime mall space, it
        takes much more work to draw customers to a place that is not
        already a retail destination (or, as in the case of towns
        like Kittery, Maine, on a tourist route).

        Bob

 Re: .7  Speaking of "getting fired"..

         Thats what usually happens to all the "old mills" isnt it...

         "THEY GET FIRED"

          e

>        or owner?  Wouldn't it cost as much to heat a clothing
>        outlet?  (Actually, wouldn't it cost more -- since the
>        equipment we use inevitably contributes waste heat to the
>        heated space?)  While I agree that an old mill will generally

  It would probably cost less to heat if it were retail space because they
could turn down the thermostat to 65 F during business hours and lower at
night. Most customers wouldn't mind because they tend to keep their coats on
when shopping in the winter, and they could ask the clerks to wear warm
clothes. Office/engineering people tend to complain if the temp goes below 70.
  Actually, I think A/C is a bigger expense for Digital at the Mill than
heating. That would be cheaper too for retail space because they wouldn't
have all that equipment throwing off heat.
  An outlet mall in the Mill is an interesting idea but I don't think it would
work because of the poor highway access.